Australian shares end higher on iron ore rally; NZ gains

* Firms including CBA, AMP, Mirvac Group due to report results this week (Updates to close)

Aug 6 (Reuters) - Australian shares rose on Monday, as strong iron ore prices in China helped material stocks while investors were largely focused on earnings due later in the week.

The most-traded September iron ore contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange climbed as much as 6.5 percent to its loftiest since March 9 supported by strong margins at China’s steel producers as Beijing’s anti-pollution fight tightens supply.

The bounce in commodities fed into Australia’s “material plays” said Christopher Conway, head of research and trading at Australian Stock Report.

The gains also come despite wider concerns about global trade after a fresh escalation in the Sino-U.S. trade war.

However, investor focus is likely to shift to companies’ earnings announcements this week, Conway added.

Mining stocks were the main driver for gains on the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index, which ended up 0.6 percent at 6,273. The benchmark slipped 0.1 percent on Friday.

The mining index rose 1.5 percent, with Galaxy Resources Ltd adding the most with a 3.3 percent gain.

Galaxy said on Monday its deal to sell certain Argentine assets to South Korea’s POSCO for $280 million was ahead of schedule.

Across the Tasman, New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index was up 0.4 percent at 8,903.13.

New Zealand shares of dairy firm a2 Milk Company supported the main index as they gained 1.3 percent. On Friday, a2 announced a higher stake in dairy processor Synlait Milk Ltd , whose shares recovered from early losses on Monday to trade about flat. ($1 = 1.3539 Australian dollars) For more individual stocks activity click on (Reporting by Aaron Saldanha in Bengaluru; Editing by Sam Holmes)